Europe’s Coal Plants ‘Need To Shut By 2030’

All the coal power plants in the EU will need to close by 2030 if the member states are to stay on track with their long-term temperature targets set out in the Paris Agreement.

This is according to a new report from Climate Analytics, a climate research institute, pinpoints when and where each of Europe’s 300 coal-based plants need to be phased out based on science-based analysis.

It has calculated that, if the EU allows all its existing coal power plants to operate to their full lifespan, it will be 85 per cent over its coal emissions budget as laid out in the Paris Agreement.

Paola Yanguas Parra, lead author of the report, recommended that to hit the emissions cuts required to stay on track, the EU should “phase out coal from the electricity sector, and replace this capacity with renewables and energy-efficiency measures”.

She added that Germany and Poland have the most to do in this respect, with these two countries responsible for 51 per cent of the EU’s installed coal capacity, and 54 per cent of emissions from this power source.

While it’s clear there is still a long way to go within Europe to hit ambitious renewable energy targets, there are some signs that things are moving in the right direction, albeit slowly.